Can Sail Material Effect The Efficiency?

Problem Scenario

Broad Question

What material makes the best sail?

Specific Question

Does the material of the sail effect the a force the sail produces?

Hypothesis

I hypothesize more common material of sail will be most likely the one that produces the most force.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable: Material of Sail

Dependent Variable: Force Created by sail

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

- Wind Speed
- Sail size

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

-Newtons (N)
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General Plan

Make scale masts that will have sails of the same size. Sew string to each sail, connect a force pressure sensor to the string. Measure the force created in Newtons, to find out what material of sail will be the most efficient.

Potential Problems And Solutions

Some problems with this experiment might be controlling the wind speed to push on the sail.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGER IN THE FAN!!!!

Experimental Design

(add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Where will you get this?	Estimated Cost
Poster Board	Staples	$5.00
Fan/ Brush-less plane motor	Home	FREE
Materials of Sails	Wal-Mart & Home	$4.00
Mast and boom Materials	Home	FREE
Force Sensor	Mr. Littlefield	FREE

Data Table

Time Line

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Background Research

1) Many materials are used for sails, the materials I used are among these. More expensive materials are used but the ones I used were accessible and affordable. More expansive materials such as pentex, kevlar, technora, spectra, zylon, carbon fibers, etc. were just plain expensive and out of my reach.
2) A sail works by catching air, for example if you ran with a parachute behind you, the parachute would catch the air and slow you down. The sail transfers that force to the boat, pushing it forward. The more force the sail creates the faster the boat will go, this is exactly the question this experiment will answer.
3) This force is measured in Newtons. Newtons are a measurement of force equal to, about 0.225 pounds of force.

References

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailcloth
2) My Brain
3) "Online Conversion - Force Conversion." Online Conversion. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.onlineconversion.com/force.htm>.

Detailed Procedure

1) Collect needed materials: wooden dowels, a fan, string, and of coarse the materials of the sails: flax (linen), hemp, cotton, nylon, and polyester
2) Create masts using dowels and connect sails that are all cut to the same size in a triangle shape.
3) Connect sail and force sensor using string
4) Turn on the fan and record data
5) Repeat steps 3 and 4, 5 times for each material

Diagram

Photo List

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Results

All Raw Data

See data table above.

Graphs

Photos

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Data Analysis

The data seen in the graph above shows that each material has 5 trails with the high point of the trial on the graph. As you can see polyester is much higher than the rest of the materials, and nylon if much lower, there my have been an error in data collection.

Conclusion

Through this experiment someone can conclude that polyester created the most force, as seen on the graph. Polyester shot up and over the other materials in every trail, as you can tell from the average of all the trails.

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Discussion

This experiment shows the force created by sails while wind is blown on them. The graph shows that polyester soared over the rest of the materials, and those other materials were relatively close together. The question: Does the material of the sail effect the a force the sail produces? was answered though this experiment, the answer being that it does effect it and the best out of the five was polyester. This conclusion might not be completely accurate because of how large the gap was from the polyester to the rest of the materials, also the nylon had significantly lower force form the others, I'm not sure what the problem in data collection was, or if there was one at all, but if were to do this experiment again I would be a little more careful. Some befits that could come from this experiment would be that if a amateur or expert sailer might wonder if they are geting the most out of their sails, this experiment might help to answer their question. If this experiment could be advanced, I would definitely test as many materials as possible.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

The befits that come from this experiment would be that if a amateur or expert sailer might wonder if they are geting the most out of their sails. By following the procedure of this experiment they can test their own materials to find out for themselves.

Abstract

The question being answered through this experiment was, does the material of the sail effect the force the sail produces? It is hypothesized that the type of material will be an effect and the more common material will produce the most force. Before beginning this experiment research was needed to find what materials to test. Research led to material like pentex, kevlar, technora, spectra, zylon, and carbon fibers which are just a little out of the middle school budget. Materials like flax (linen), hemp, cotton, nylon, and polyester were much more reasonable. To find the answer to the question is very simple; make the same size sails from various materials along with masts to go with them. Next, tie one end of piece of string to the sail and the other end to a force sensor. Then blow a fan at each individual sail using the same speed and measure the force created over a period of time. In this case it was measured with 50 data points per second for ten seconds. Analyze all data to answer the question. Through this experiment someone can conclude that polyester created the most force. Overall the experiment went well except there may have been an error in data collection with the nylon.